Become a Star

About 10 minutes later, Kang Ho-Soo returned to the break room and nodded to Woo-Jin and Hyun-Min, giving them the green light to make photobooks.

“However, Woo-Jin cannot show himself at the stall when you’re selling the photobooks, and you need to make them without our help. The CEO said that we won’t do a quality check of the samples since these are products made by students for a university assignment, but he has high expectations for the photobooks. Also, he wants to be your very first customer.”

CEO Jang Soo-Hwan had unexpectedly given them permission pretty easily without deep consideration. He was quite interested in how Woo-Jin’s friend would make the photobook as compared to an actual professional. This was an extremely rare yet entertaining occurrence.

He was also curious to know the differences between how an artist viewed their subject and how a friend viewed Woo-Jin. If this process and backstory were aired on TV later on, the reactions of those who had bought these photobooks would definitely be interesting to say the least.

Naturally, these photobooks would likely end up as scarce and premium products on the market afterwards, but that wasn't something for the agency to concern themselves with.

There were many cases where fans personally took photos of their idols to make amateur photobooks. Just like how the agencies couldn’t regulate every product on the market or restrict the fans’ activities, the fans’ desire to consume more of their favorite idol's content couldn’t be quenched.

“Then let’s get started!” Hyun-Min exclaimed.

“Already?”

“You do realize that the others are ten days ahead of us because somebody wanted to wait until their exam was over, don’t you?”

They had been given three weeks to complete the assignment, but because of Woo-Jin’s interview, ten days had passed for the duo with nothing under their belt.

Thus, they had less than two weeks to finish the task. Taking the photos would take up a big part of the work, but editing and compiling the pictures was also essential and time-consuming.

The enthusiastic Hyun-Min packed his belongings and stood up. Woo-Jin followed suit but told his friend in a daze.

“I should at least take a bath beforehand.”

The sweat covering his body had dried up throughout their conversation, so Woo-Jin felt unpleasantly sticky and didn’t feel like doing anything unless he washed himself.

Hyun-Min’s eyes suddenly beamed as if he received enlightenment from Woo-Jin’s words.

“Don’t tell me you want to take photos of me bathing?!” Woo-Jin shouted as soon as he noticed his friend’s gaze.

They knew each other so well that they could guess each other’s thoughts.

“No way~ No matter how blinded I am by money and high grades, I’m still a human being with some dignity.”

“I don’t think you have any dignity whatsoever,” Woo-Jin jabbed back at Hyun-Min.

Woo-Jin stared at his friend with suspicion and retreated a couple of steps to put some distance between them.

“I just came up with the theme of the photobook. How about capturing you in your natural state?”

“Natural…”

Woo-Jin shivered as his rebukes only seemed to further fuel Hyun-Min’s imagination. He wondered whether he had accidentally walked into a minefield while trying to take the easy way out.

“I was thinking of a jjimjilbang[1]! A scene of Chae Woo-Jin with a towel wrapped around his head like Princess Leia buns, eating a boiled egg with a cup of sikhye[2] in his hand. That would be a great idea for a picture! What, did you think I’d say something weird? I’m a pure and innocent soul.”

“Ooh, but I can’t go to jjimjilbangs anymore. I’d cause a commotion just by being there.”

Woo-Jin didn’t really like jjimjilbangs to begin with. He didn’t have the time nor leeway to relax in those places, and he was someone who was sensitive to the heat, thus he didn’t like being in hot and humid places.

Still, Woo-Jin would go with his friends. But nowadays, jjimjilbangs were one of the places he couldn’t visit anymore due to his fame.

He wasn’t afraid of being recognized, he was afraid of all the dreadful photos that could be taken while he was in a public bath.

“But the towel buns, eggs and sikhye… They’re such great ideas…”

Hyun-Min muttered to himself as he didn’t want his idea to go to waste. Then, he wore a strange smile and snapped his finger.

“All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.”

Hyun-Min told the clueless Woo-Jin a quote from an American photographer and told the latter to go wash up at home. Hyun-Min then left in a hurry, claiming he had to prepare his camera and a bunch of other things.

Woo-Jin got increasingly anxious as he saw his friend’s excitement. He knew all too well how students could change drastically when they were blinded by their school grades.

Woo-Jin considered continuing to sell soap bars for a moment, but changed his mind as soon as he saw the large bear mask. His throat clogged up just from the thought of wearing that again.

Woo-Jin got up from his seat while smacking the mask that was on the table. He’d rather be blinded by his greed for good grades than suffer inside that sweltering and stuffy costume.

***

Hyun-Min prepared a camera from a brand that sounded exactly like ‘cannon’, some clothes that looked similar to jjimjilbang clothes, some sikhye, and many other things.

Woo-Jin sat down in front of an indoor heater with a towel wrapped like buns on his head and all kinds of snacks you’d see in a jjimjilbang laid out in front of him.

“Now you’re just fabricating a fake scenario!” Woo-Jin exclaimed.

“That doesn’t mean it’s not the truth. The concept is the joys and sorrows of a young man who is unable to go to a jjimjilbang, so just drink your sikhye! As for your face… Well, it looks all clean and soft since you just took a bath. That’s good.”

Hyun-Min grabbed Woo-Jin’s chin and moved the latter’s head around, inspecting his face. Woo-Jin’s clean skin was perfect to represent the effects of a jjimjilbang, so there was no need to put on any make-up.

In fact, they didn’t even have a choice since they couldn’t ask Hwang Yi-Young to apply make-up for Woo-Jin because of CEO Jang’s instructions. As Woo-Jin sat in front of the heater with his towel buns and the snacks, they somehow managed to recreate the atmosphere of a jjimjilbang.

Woo-Jin peeled the boiled egg and ate while sipping on his sikhye. The fatigue from the day gradually took over and his eyes slowly lost their light.

“Perfect! Now get changed,” Hyun-Min said.

“Hm? What?”

“We’re done with the jjimjilbang concept. Changed into different clothes now. Let’s take more photos.”

As they pressed on due to the lack of time, Woo-Jin got changed in a daze and was led to the kitchen this time.

“But I’ve shown people how I cook already….”

Woo-Jin had been filmed while cooking in Life Depicted a few times and two of those instances had already been aired on TV. He argued that people wouldn’t be interested in this concept anymore since they were now familiar with it.

“This is a photoshoot, not a documentary. Use your skills to turn any point in time into a work of art that transcends reality.”

“All I understood from that is ‘I have no more ideas or concepts so let’s just take random pictures’, you know?” Woo-Jin retaliated.

Hyun-Min didn’t reply to his friend’s comment and simply raised his camera, urging Woo-Jin to cook something. The latter opened the refrigerator and took out some ingredients to make a salad. He put lettuce and boiled broccoli into a bowl and grilled some bacon.

No matter how good a salad was, it wouldn't be appetizing if it didn't contain meat.

Woo-Jin removed the oil from the grilled bacon with a kitchen towel. Then, to make the sauce, he finely chopped onions and pickled cucumber before mixing it with mayonnaise, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper.

Woo-Jin poured the sauce over the vegetables and bacon, mixed everything together, and grabbed a fork to taste it. But before he could take a bite, Hyun-Min shouted that they were done and urged Woo-Jin to move to the next scene.

Woo-Jin had to go back to his room and change again as Hyun-Min kept rushing him because there was no time. Although they were filming at home, Woo-Jin had to keep changing and tweaking his hair as the concepts were different from one another.

Woo-Jin gave up on putting on make-up altogether and only restyled his hair. This time, he came out wearing a navy blue checkered shirt and a comfortable pair of jeans.

Then, Woo-Jin saw Hyun-Min sitting on the sofa, rubbing his stomach peacefully with a cup of sikhye in hand and an empty salad bowl beside him.

Woo-Jin’s gaze sharpened as he glared at his friend. When Hyun-Min noticed Woo-Jin, he jumped up and pointed the camera at the actor before the latter could do anything.

“Why does it almost seem like you’re using that to threaten me?” Woo-Jin asked.

“You wouldn’t be wrong to call this a weapon since its nickname is Cannon.”

Celebrities couldn’t survive without cameras, but those same cameras were also their worst enemies.

It was the same case for Woo-Jin. When a camera lens was pointed at him, he had to strike a pose and behave extremely carefully.

“Hmm, wanna take a picture with Woo-Sa this time?” Hyun-Min asked.

“No, it’s too exhausting for Woo-Sa.”

As they gradually ran out of ideas and materials in the limited space, Hyun-Min casually mentioned Woo-Sa. He thought that a picture with Woo-Jin’s pet cat would be perfect, but Woo-Jin immediately shook his head.

In the current situation where Chae Woo-Ra was being shunned and insulted by the masses because of Woo-Sa, Woo-Jin couldn’t just take a picture and release it to the public. It would look like Woo-Jin was taunting her by showing that he was getting along with the cat that she had abandoned, which didn’t sit well with Woo-Jin.

Even if he didn’t consider Chae Woo-Ra his sister, even if she was simply a stranger to him, Woo-Jin felt like it would be unwarranted ridicule and foul-play. Above all, he was worried that Woo-Sa would be stressed in a place with a lot of strangers, since the production crew of Life Depicted was with them.

Hyun-Min sensed the hidden meaning in Woo-Jin’s words and didn’t argue back. He simply continued to think of another concept. Soon enough, he pointed at the piano in the living room.

“This time, play the piano while looking like you overslept and are still a bit dazed during the late morning. Sounds good?”

“The morning? The sky’s already dark outside, though.”

Woo-Jin was starting to get a bit annoyed. He had been running around the house and constantly changing his clothes all evening.

Since the photobook’s theme was to show Woo-Jin in his natural state, there was no need for Woo-Jin to put on an act. So while there was no mental fatigue, Woo-Jin was still physically exhausted from all the activities he had done today from noon until now.

In fact, the day had felt so long that he thought it would be more worthwhile and enjoyable to act throughout the night.

Seeing Woo-Jin displaying his annoyance and tousling his hair, Hyun-Min shouted ‘Good~!’ and pressed the shutter continuously as he nodded. Through his messy bangs, Woo-Jin’s eyes reflected bafflement and disbelief. He could only smirk and chuckle at his friend who kept taking pictures in this situation.

Woo-Jin reluctantly sat in front of the piano and looked outside the living room window. It was impossible to create a calm morning atmosphere in a situation where the night sky filled the horizon.

This is fated, but this too shall pass.

“I will play a popular piece. And the piece that best expresses my current feelings is…”

Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Woo-Jin began playing a famous symphony better known as Fate.

The production crew was momentarily stunned at the grand and powerful opening. The dynamic playing quickly turned more and more impatient, making the listener uneasy.

Woo-Jin was playing the piano too violently, spreading a feeling of unease as if the listeners couldn’t predict what lay ahead. The melody created by his possessed fingers that danced without end struck the hearts of the listeners, not their fate.

Hyun-Min lamented the fact that his photos could not capture the sound of Woo-Jin’s playing, but he still took as many pictures as he could. He was initially looking for a calm, late-morning atmosphere, but this wasn’t that bad either.

The evening outside the window blended with the melodic music to cast a lonely and melancholic veil on the living room.

And thus, their first photoshoot ended. They had gotten all the pictures they could take inside the house, so Hyun-Min and Woo-Jin scheduled an outdoor photoshoot for the next day.

“Firstly, we’ll have the photoshoot tomorrow morning and move on to selling soaps at noon, and…”

“Wait, we’re selling more soap?” Woo-Jin interjected.

His expression distorted as if he had heard something appalling.

“We need to. We still have a bunch of unsold soaps. Or should we throw them away instead?” Hyun-Min asked sarcastically.

In fact, there were still some soap bars left that they had ordered and received. They had planned on selling all the bars this weekend in two batches, and if it went well, they’d order more and sell them the following weekend.

“Then do I have to wear the bear costume again?”

“If you hate it that much, I’ll sell them alone tomorrow.”

At Hyun-Min’s words, Woo-Jin couldn’t bring himself to say no. They were partners on the assignment, so it would be unfair of Woo-Jin to not help with the sales just because it was tiresome.

As long as Woo-Jin didn’t want to show his face, the only way he could promote the soaps was by wearing a costume.

“Then why are we making a photobook in the first place?”

Woo-Jin had agreed to make the photobook to avoid wearing the bear costume, but it felt like he was trapped in a neverending vicious cycle.

“Because we don’t need to sell soap if we make a photobook?” Hyun-Min answered, confused by his friend’s question.

They couldn’t do anything about the soap bars that were already made, but if they produced photobooks, they wouldn’t have to order and sell new soap bars the following week.

“Then how are we going to sell the photobooks?”

“Just like how we sold the soaps, obviously…”

Hyun-Min’s voice got quieter by the end of his sentence as realization struck him and he sneaked a glance at Woo-Jin. CEO Jang had forbidden Woo-Jin from showing himself when selling the photobooks.

In other words, Hyun-Min has to either sell the photobooks alone or Woo-Jin will have to wear a costume and solicit passers-by just like this afternoon.

Hyun-Min silently got up and packed his camera and belongings. Then, he quickly left the house, leaving behind Woo-Jin—who had yet to realize the severity of the situation—in the care of the production crew for Life Depicted.

Soon enough, Woo-Jin gradually realized what was happening. But before he could go into a frenzy, Hwang Yi-Young silently took out the bear costume which had been properly folded and packed away in their luggage and handed it over to Woo-Jin.

It seemed like Woo-Jin had spoken too soon when he told her to take it away as he no longer needed it.

1. A jjimjilbang (찜질방) is a large Korean bathhouse usually with hot and cold baths & dry saunas. They usually also have one main large hall where people can sleep and a small shop on the side to buy food and drinks. When you enter, you need to change into the jjimjilbang clothes, which are typically a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. ☜

2. Sikhye (식혜) is a traditional sweet Korean rice drink with grains of cooked rice inside. Imagine a bubble tea but with a sweet rice punch and grains of rice instead of tapioca balls. ☜